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Eiichiro Oda has introduced a lot of characters inOne Piece, but according to fans, the cutest character among them is Tony Tony Chopper, the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. Chopper first appeared during the Drum Island arc, and the backstory of the character melted the hearts of everyOne Piecefan.
The major credit for Chopper’s cuteness goes to Ikue Ootani, the voice actor for the character. Ootani is known for playing Pikachu in Pokémon, Konohamaru in Naruto, and Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya in Detective Conan. Ootani’s voice is one of the cutest voices in the anime industry, and her roles certainly reflect that.
During an interview, Oda talked about Ootani’s role as Chopper. He praised her and stated that because of her, Oda had to change one major rule about mascots. Mascots are cute or comedic side characters who tend to leave a huge impact on viewers and fans. In a way, these mascot characters represent their anime series.
Eiichiro Oda Changed Chopper to a Mascot Character Because of Ikue Ootani
In 2022, Oda gave an interview along with the creator of Detective Conan, Gosho Aoyama for the Weekly Shonen Jump 34. This interview was later translated and shared by@Orojapan1on X(Formerly Twitter). During the interview, Oda revealed why he changed Chopper to a mascot character inOne Piece.
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Oda stated:
“I’ve also changed Chopper to a mascot character after hearing the anime voice. I have a policy “Not wanting to draw mascots” but Ootani Ikue’s voice was too cute(laughs)”
According toEiichiro Oda, he had a policy about not wanting to draw mascot characters for anime. He wanted his series to not have a single character define or represent his entire work. However, when he heard Ootani’s voice as Chopper, he found it so cute that he decided to change Chopper into a mascot.
Tony Tony Chopper’s Change from a Normal Character to a Mascot Character
While manyOne Piecefans might not have noticed it, Chopper went through a lot of significant changes during the course ofOne Piece, when Oda decided to change Chopper to a mascot character. Not only did his physical appearance change, buteven his Devil Fruit formswent through some decent changes.
When Chopper was introduced, he was not as plump as he is today. He looked like a reindeer and was more furry. His cuteness mostly came from his voice or his actions, especially when someone would praise him. The final form of his Devil Fruit transformation was essentially a huge reindeer monster, which was too scary.
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However, after the time skip, Chopper was deemed the mascot character ofOne Pieceas he went through a lot of changes. He became a little chibby, and his clothes were also changed. He became much cuter, and even his transformations became less scary. He even gained control over his monster-point transformation.
You can watchOne Pieceon Crunchyroll.
Tarun Kohli
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2957
Tarun Kohli is the Senior Anime Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,900 published articles. He currently specializes in critiquing One Piece and other Shonen anime. A passionate fan of the genre, his love for thoughtful analysis reflects his genuine appreciation for the art of anime. His deep understanding of anime culture has earned recognition from industry figures such as Adi Shankar and the creators of Blood of Zeus.
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Eiichiro OdaOne PieceTony Tony Chopper
